Chapter 12

The Pavoni family couldn't be called skilled in combat by any stretch of the imagination. Even when they aimed at a large shield, less than half of their shots hit the mark.

'Is it their shooting skills, the quality of their guns, or both?'

Kim Yi-Hyeon himself wasn't confident enough in his shooting skills to criticize others.

Maybe with a K2, but [Ivory] was a pistol, and he didn't even know the correct way to grip it.

However, the gun's performance was overwhelming.

'An increase in general attack accuracy by 20%. I didn't realize how useful this would be.'

In Polaris, the 'accuracy' option is generally useless. Typical enemies have a dodge rate of zero.

All attacks hit for sure. The game is about calculating attack and defense power.

'Not entirely useless, though.'

Sometimes, enemies with dodge mechanics appear, but even then, [Ivory] is not used. It has no other abilities and low correction values.

'The suppression shield is equally tricky.'

A shield comparable to 4-star equipment in terms of 'physical defense.' However, it has no special abilities, and its attack correction is zero.

Couldn't it be given to a fragile dealer? Not quite.

In Polaris, there's a class concept; only tanks can use shields. You can't give a sword to a shooter for long-range attacks.

'That was in the game.'

Considering the freedom that exists between the game and reality, [Special Weapon Production] was a more OP skill than expected.

Pabap!

The bullets shot by the mafia thudded into the wall, making a chilling sound. Kim Yi-Hyeon retreated while holding up his shield.

"What are you doing? Keep shooting!"

Thump, thud!

Ten men remained.

Three of them hastily reloaded, not even having preloaded their bullets. Pavoni was just shouting.

As expected, they were a disorganized bunch. Despite the gaps, Kim Yi-Hyeon didn't force an offensive.

The enemy was numerous. Greed and carelessness were forbidden.

Getting injured while dealing with one would be a loss. Even minor injuries could lead to death.

'Let's take it one at a time.'

The warehouse door was still half torn off. Kim Yi-Hyeon retreated outside, sticking to the wall in preparation for pursuit.

"That bastard!"

Two men, filled with rage, rushed out.

Pop!

A bullet lodged in the forehead of one of the men chasing Kim Yi-Hyeon. His body fell, blocking his companion's path.

"P-Please… spare me…"

The trigger was pulled again. The mafia man collapsed, the corpse with a hole in its head falling on top of him.

Kim Yi-Hyeon fired two more shots. He couldn't afford the trouble of someone using their last bit of strength to shoot back.

The shallow, rapid breaths of the mafia ceased abruptly.

"Hoo, hoo. Calm down, please."

The recoil reminded him he had just shot a person.

In the world of Polaris, nausea-inducing events were not uncommon.

This time he held it in. He couldn't afford to vomit and die. He needed to stay cold-headed.

The warehouse door wasn't very big. The corpses were suitable obstacles.

"Hey, get a grip. Stick together!"

Pavoni's voice trembled pitifully as he berated his subordinates.

He must have been out of his mind. It seemed the enemy wasn't as composed as himself.

Kim Yi-Hyeon placed the suppression shield on the ground. A new piece of equipment appeared in his now-free left hand.

An object resembling a grenade in every way. He pulled the pin and tossed it into the warehouse.

All eyes focused on the flying round object.

"That crazy…!"

Pavoni threw down Astérike's sword and forcibly dragged his subordinates behind him. Two bulky subordinates served as perfect shields.

Then.

Boom.

The grenade exploded with a rather subdued sound.

Pavoni cautiously opened the eyes he hadn't realized he had closed. There were no signs of the destruction he had imagined.

Just a lot of mud splattered around.

"W-What is this?"

2-star special equipment [Clay Bomb].

It can be used once per battle and reduces the hit enemy's defense by 5% for 10 seconds.

Unlike [Sticky Brush], it cannot be stacked. Truly an ambiguous performance befitting a 2-star. It's used for extreme damage output in sales pitches.

Perfect for drawing attention.

Bang!

By the time Pavoni realized he had been played, the muzzle was already spitting fire. The bullet pierced through a subordinate's side.

Not just one. All three shots hit.

Two managed to protect their vital spots but suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and hand.

'Damn it. How many did we lose?'

Pavoni quickly calculated the damage. Two from the ambush. Two who were ambushed after chasing foolishly. Three from the recent prank. More than half were down already.

'Any more would be dangerous.'

Even if they survived, there would be problems.

The Pavoni family had about thirty members. If their numbers dwindled further, other organizations might show their teeth.

Just as he thought he had to do something, an idea struck Pavoni. His lips curled into a grin.

"How about taking it easy now, huh?"

Pavoni pulled out a pistol from his coat. Keeping his gaze fixed on the entrance, he aimed the gun backward.

The muzzle pointed directly at Astérike.

"You, do you know who I am? I've heard rumors about an immigrant bastard running around with food outside the safe zone. I thought you were feeding stray cats."

Pavoni chuckled. His attitude was regaining its composure.

"But what the hell, hanging out with that Pekatum girl? You must be a complete lunatic. Or did you know each other from before?"

It was like spitting in his own face. Pavoni had tried to recruit Astérike himself.

But Kim Yi-Hyeon didn't argue. He wasn't serious about listening. He glanced inside the warehouse and steadied his breath.

'This is tougher than I thought.'

The consumption was extreme beyond the level of activity. It was the recoil from creating three 2-star pieces of equipment in succession.

'But it's almost over.'

Kim Yi-Hyeon dismissed [Ivory] from his hand. To prepare for any emergencies, he picked up the suppression shield he had set down.

Judging by his assessment, there was no need to draw any more weapons.

"Crazy bastard. What a novel way to commit suicide."

Of all things, taking Astérike hostage. He felt like applauding. The saying "ignorance is bravery" fit perfectly.

How could that guy know about Astérike's power? According to the original plan, Astérike should have been Pavoni's puppet.

At least, 'according to the original plan.' Judging by her state, she seemed quite provoked.

"...I think I understand now."

Astérike muttered to herself.

"I shouldn't have held back. I should've acted like a bastard to that bastard."

"Huh?"

"I have nothing, and nothing to leave behind. It's all people who don't matter, so what if I don't hold back."

"What are you talking about? These bastards are…!"

His sentence was cut off.

Pavoni, who had turned his head back, gaped. His pupils quaked violently as if an earthquake had struck.

―Whoosh!

Flames erupted from beneath Astérike's feet, swirling in a torrent of crimson around her.

"Ugh!"

Pavoni dropped the gun. The heat had traveled up the barrel to his hand.

He scrambled away from Astérike. A sense of foreboding clawed at his spine, reaching his brain.

"Damn it, just kill this bitch already!"

He abandoned his plan to use her as a hitman. As the command fell, the mafia began shooting.

The bullets didn't reach.

They melted away in the flames before touching Astérike. Her golden eyes blazed intensely within the fire.

"W-Wait. I didn't mean for this to…!"

Whoosh!

The roaring flames engulfed Pavoni. He didn't have time to scream. The sound was choked off before it could escape his throat, his vocal cords incinerated.

The shadow consumed by fire quickly shrank until it was no longer visible. The scene was more than enough to crush the mafia's will to fight.

Run, spare me.

The typical words were their last.

The mafia attempting to flee were engulfed in flames as soon as they turned.

Not a single corpse remained intact. The warehouse was filled with heat so intense it distorted vision. Fireballs dripped like blood.

"Shit, this wasn't supposed to happen."

The last remaining young man fell on his backside. Ironically, he was the one who first encountered Astérike.

The young man she had saved from monsters. The one she had lent her 'magic sword' to.

There was no second mercy. The place where the flames swept became a pile of ashes.

It all happened in an instant. Watching the development, Kim Yi-Hyeon smacked his lips.

'At that level, I don't even think it's cruel anymore.'

With this, the Pavoni family was half-destroyed. With their leader and main forces fallen, they wouldn't be able to act as they did before.

It wasn't a problem for anyone else to worry about.

"Now, what should I do about this?"

Even though the enemies had all burned to death, the fire hadn't subsided. Astérike was standing in the middle of the raging flames, breathing heavily.

'She still can't control it.'

Astérike, or Ast for short.

A 6-star agent suitable for both mob fights and boss battles. Commonly referred to as a "meta character."

In particular, the DPS of her second skill was in the top five among all playable characters.

'The problem is that she's hard to use.'

The second skill [Bloody Flames] is a 30-second buff skill that changes normal attacks to deal magic damage over a wide area.

The attack boost is absurdly high, but it comes with significant penalties.

'She trolls a lot.'

When Ast activates [Bloody Flames], she ends up blowing up her allies too.

It can't be manually stopped, and at the end of the skill, her defense drops to zero, leaving her incapacitated.

The spell is so powerful that it's uncontrollable by design.

It's said she once burned down her house and family in a spell rampage, which is why she avoided using the spell as much as possible.

'After being exploited for several years, she couldn't hold out any longer and used the spell, leading to the destruction of the Pavoni family… that was her background.'

Later, Ast meets the professor and joins the lab, where she receives a spell suppressor. That's the employment contract between Selvrologics Lab and her.

The process up to that point is just dealt with through 'gacha.'

'In reality, a suppressor isn't a complete solution.'

It only allows her to use the spell at lower output. That's how the first skill works. It's highly versatile but lacks high-end potential.

In emergencies, she removes the suppressor to use her full power, which corresponds to the second skill [Bloody Flames].

In other words, every time she uses the second skill, she goes berserk. A typical berserker-type dealer.

In the game, you can just let her die after using the skill. But reality isn't that forgiving.

'Is the duration different from the game?'

The spell was still active even though 30 seconds had passed. If she collapsed after using a spell for just 30 seconds, that would be a problem too.

'I won't be able to use the second skill for a while.'

There's a weapon that complements Ast's weaknesses in the setting, but… it can't be made right now. For now, the suppressor is the only option.

At least the potential was confirmed. With her overwhelming 'talent,' she'd become an asset depending on Kim Yi-Hyeon's growth.

'Should I just leave her until she calms down?'

Ast's spell doesn't harm herself. If it did, she would have died the first time she went berserk.

"How long will it take?"

Kim Yi-Hyeon backed off to a safe distance and sat on the ground. The walls of the warehouse had melted, so he could see Astérike from outside.

He watched for a moment, then turned his head. Her clothes had burned away, leaving her in an embarrassing state.

"...I guess I need to get her some clothes."

Reality had its inconveniences.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Astérike collapsed from exhaustion. By the time the flames died down, the surroundings were nearly in ruins.

Kim Yi-Hyeon took off his jacket and covered Astérike with it. Then he pondered what to do next. He wasn't sure of the best course of action.

"Can I take her with me like this?"

Where should he go in the first place?

There was a high chance someone had seen the commotion just now. The information would soon reach Ulantz.

'They'll probably make a move by tomorrow at the latest.'

The remaining Pavoni family members and other factions wouldn't stay quiet. There was a risk of conflict if the balance was disrupted.

He didn't want to get too involved.

'For now, let's assume I was wandering outside the safe zone. Where's the closest area from here....'

Waking up the unconscious Astérike wasn't an option. He needed time to think.

While he was racking his brain,

"Huh?"

He heard the sound of a vehicle's exhaust from somewhere. It was getting closer. Kim Yi-Hyeon crouched down and watched the direction of the sound.

A clunky pickup truck was rattling toward him. It was too dark to see the driver.

The vehicle soon stopped nearby, and a man with a cigarette in his mouth stuck his head out the window.

"What the hell did you do!"

It was a familiar face.

"Information broker, what are you doing here? The job's done."

"Done, my ass. Didn't I tell you not to mess around? Because of you, my life is ruined!"

"Why are you suddenly picking a fight?"

"Does this look like a fight? I warned you to stay low. But you shot up the Pavoni family, and that Pekatum girl set everything on fire. What does that sound like to you?"

"Were you watching?"

"Does it matter right now?"

His constant yelling was getting on his nerves. As Kim Yi-Hyeon frowned, the broker, Rosco, spat out more words in frustration.

"Don't you get it? Selling you information has put my head in serious danger. Pavoni family, Jeokgeon, Svedenie, all sorts of bastards will be coming for me!"

"...Ah."

Finally, Kim Yi-Hyeon understood Rosco's situation.

It was a realistic story. In fact, Rosco was the person most closely linked to Kim Yi-Hyeon in Ulantz.

Rosco had two choices now: sell out Kim Yi-Hyeon and Astérike, or,

"So, you want me to take responsibility?"

"Yes, you bastard!"

Stick together and run.

"I packed up as soon as things went south, so there's no one chasing us yet. It's better to get out of here before it gets troublesome. Get in!"

He was quick to make a decision.